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Elderly should be visited every day

By: Fionnuala Quinlan
The Irish Examiner, July 13, 2000

SPECIAL committees of people to visit the elderly daily should be set up in each community, according to workers caring for the elderly.

Neighbours, who are often the most crucial contact point for elderly people, need to be more vigilant if the Leixlip tragedy is not to be repeated, said Paddy O’Brien, a voluntary social worker specialising in care of the elderly.
“A lot of elderly people tell me they don’t see or talk to anyone for three or four days, sometimes, and one man hadn’t seen a soul for six days. Some elderly people tell me they are so lonely that they wish they were dead,” he said. “There is a very serious problem in relation to the elderly in this country - they are just being ignored and abandoned. People have to remember that their welfare isn’t just up to the local council or the health board, neighbours have probably the most important role to play,” he said.

He is urging all communities to draw up a list of elderly people living in their area and ensure they are visited each day. He also called on senior citizens’ associations to go beyond organising weekly social outings and Christmas parties and keep in regular contact with their members. Vincent Nolan of the Cork Old Folk’s Friendly Association urged people to introduce themselves to their elderly neighbours and gradually build up a relationship of trust. Even where they feel that their elderly neighbour doesn’t welcome regular visits, they should remain vigilant and check that milk, papers and mail are not being left uncollected, he said. “Even if they are not familiar with the person, they should take notice when they miss them around. If they don’t see them in the garden or at their front door for a while, they should either call by or notify the gardaí of their concerns,” he said.

“Loneliness is a disease that affects too many of the country’s 500,000 elderly people. Everybody should try to do something about it,” urged Paddy O’Brien.